Electronic progression indicator



Mardi 16 1965 N. vEccHlARELLl ETAL 3,174,139

ELECTRONIC PROGRESSION INDICATOR Filed Jan. 24. 1961 INVENro Maf/mf Vicar/4l? Mamme/.ss :M

United States Patent Gftice 3,l74,l39 Patented Mar. 16, 1965 Force Filed Jan. 24, 1961, Ser. No. 84,742 Claims. (Cl. 3413-174) This invention relates to indicating apparatus, and particularly to apparatus for producing a succession of visual displays indicative of the progress of energy flow along a chain of electric or electro-magnetic data processing elements.

The invention is exemplified herein in a form it may assume when applied to the function of indicating the progress of a data-representing electric current along the inter-linked coils of a magnetic core type of shift register; however, it is to be understood that in other uses of the invention the successive visual displays will have other significance, in accordance with the nature of the electric, electro-magnetic, or electronic effects to be monitored or indicated.

In the drawing, the arrangement illustrated includes a serially connected group of magnetic cores 1 to n, inclusive, which group is only partially illustrated in the drawing, with dash lines indicating the omitted cores of the group, numbering one or more as conditions dictate. The complete group constitutes what is commonly termed a shift register, with each core being in the form of a ring of ferromagnetic material having high magnetic retentivity and a relatively open hysteresis loop characteristic, preferably approaching the rectangular shape, so that a digital value stored in a given core will tend to remain therein until removed by subjecting the magnetic field of the core to a pulse current of sufficient amplitude and proper polarity -to drive the core from its pre-existing state of saturation at one magnetic polarity to the opposite polar state of saturation. Each core has a shif winding a to receive the shift pulse current, a signal input Winding b to receive the signal energy, and a signal output winding c to transfer signal energy to the adjacent core by Way of the intervening unidirectional impedance element d and the intervening delay network consisting of condenser e resistor f, inductance L, and any additional delay network elements that may be included for the purpose of delaying the delivery of the signal energy to the input winding of the succeeding core for a suflicient time interval to assure completion of the read-out of the preceding signal, if any, from the preceding core in response to the application of the shift pulse to the shift winding a of said core.

The parts above described conform to those of a conventional shift register. To such parts the present invention is applicable by including therewith a series of ionizable elements, shown in lthe form of thyratron tubes T l-Tn whose plate circuits Hl-H11 connect with a common voltage source 55 of positive polarity, and Whose grid circuits Gl-Gl1 are tapped off the successive delay units, as shown at 35-38. A common grounded line 60 serves to ground all cathodes Fl-Fn. The tube circuits include resistors 39 to 47 and capacitors 48-50 linking the plate leads.

When an intelligence-representing bit is shifted from a first to a second core, the capacitor e in the delay network between the cores is charged. The charge on the capacitor raises the grid potential on the rst thyratron T1 causing it to be ignited. When the bit is shifted to a succeeding core, the second thyratron T2 is ignited in a like manner. The sequence is repeated throughout the chain. Ignition of the second tube will extinguish the first thyratron, and a like result will follow each new ignition action. The result is that the particular thyratron which is ignited at any given time indicates in which core the information is stored.

The following table of electrical values indicates a workable combination, and suggests the range of lapplicable value ratios:

Terminal 55 Plus 90 volts. Terminals a to 6511 Minus 15 volts. Resistors 39 to 42 270K. Resistors 44 to 47 120K. Capacitors 48-50 250 mmf.

What we claim is:

l. In an indicating system, a series of ionizable display components having a plate, a cathode and a grid, a series of capacitance means interconnecting the successive plates of said series of ionizable components a corresponding series of electrical data-processing components for receiving intelligence-representing electrical impulses in time sequence said electrical data-processing components being in the form of a series of magnetic cores each having a single input winding and a single output winding, and a single transfer circuit inter-connecting the successive input and output windings, and means inter-connecting each of said grids to said transfer circuit, to cause energizaton of said display components in synchronism with the progress of said electrical impulses along said data-processing components.

2. In an indicating system, a series of ionizable display components having a plate, a cathode and a grid, a series of capacitance means inter-connecting the successive plates of said series of ionizable components, a corresponding series of electrical work-performing components for receiving electrical impulses in time sequence, said electrical work-performing components being in the form of series of magnetic cores each having a single input Winding and a single output winding, a transfer circuit including electrical delaying means interconnecting the successive input and output windings, and means inter-connecting each of said grids to said transfer circuit in said two series of components to cause energization of said display components in synchronism with the progress of said electrical impulses along said work-performing components.

3. In an indicating system, a series of ionizable display components having a plate, a cathode 'and a grid, a series of capacitance means inter-connecting the successive plates of said series of ionizable components, a corresponding series of electrical work-performing components for receiving electrical impulses in time sequence said electrical data-processing components being in the form of a series of magnetic cores each having a single input winding and a single output winding, and a single transfer circuit interconnecting the successive input and output windings, and means inter-connecting said two series of components to cause energization of one of said display components at each stage of operation of the system, and to prevent concurrent energization of more than one of said display components.

4. A continuous indicating sysem for visually indicating the bit position in a magnetic core type of shift register comprising a series of magnetic cores, each having a shift winding, a single input winding, and single output winding, a corresponding series of ionizable display components having a plate, a cathode and a grid, a series of capacitance means inter-connecting successive plates in said series of ionizable components, a single transfer circuit inter-connecting the successive input and output windings of said magnetic cores, said transfer circuit including electrical delay means between the input and output windings of said magnetic cores to lassure completion of the readout of the preceding bit position, and means tapped from each grid in said series of ionizable components into said 3 single transfer circuit for delivering electrical impulses to said display lcomponents to cause energization-thereof in synchronism with the progress of said bit-representing electrical pulses along said magnetic cores.

5. In an indicating system,.a'series of '-ionizable display components having a plate, a cathode and a grid, a series of capacitance means inter-connecting the successive plates of said series of ionizablecomponents, a corresponding series of electrical data-processing components for Vreceiving intelligence-representing electrical impulses in time sequence in accordance Withianintelligence input pattern, and means inter-connecting said .two series of components References Cited Yby* the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,846,669 8/58 McMillan et al 340-174 2,954,163 9/60 Okada 340-174 IRVING L. SRAGOVV, Primary Examiner.

JOHN T. BURNS, Examiner. 

4. A CONTINUOUS INDICATING SYSEM FOR VISUALLY INDICATING THE BIT POSITION IN A MAGNETIC CORE TYPE OF SHIFT REGISTER COMPRISNG A SERIES OF MAGNETIC CORES, EACH HAVING A SHIFT WINDING, A SINGLE INPUT WINDING, AND SINGLE OUTPUT WINDING, A CORRESPONDING SERIES OF IONIZABLE DISPLAY COMPOMENTS HAVING A PLATE, A CATHODE AND A GRID, A SERIES OF CAPACITANCE MEANS INTER-CONNECTING SUCCESSIVE PLATES IN SAID SERIES OF IONIZABLE COMPONENTS, A SINGLE TRANSFER CIRCUIT INTER-CONNECTING THE SUCCESSIVE INPUT AND OUTPUT WINDINGS OF SAID MAGNETIC CORES, SAID TRANSFER CIRCUIT INCLUDING ELECTRICAL DELAY MEANS BETWEEN THE INPUT AND OUTPUT WINDINGS OF SAID MAGNETIC CORES TO ASSURE COMPLETION OF THE "READOUT" OF THE PRECEDING BIT POSITION, AND MEANS TAPPED FROM EACH GRID IN SAID SERIES OF IONIZABLE COMPONENTS INTO SAID SINGLE TRANSFER CIRCUIT FOR DELIVERING ELECTRICAL IMPULSES TO SAID DISPLAY COMPONENTS TO CAUSE ENERGIZATION THEREOF IN SYNCHRONISM WITH THE PROGRESS OF SAID BIT-REPRESENTING ELECTRICAL PULSES ALONG SAID MAGNETIC CORES. 